Method of using a polarization sorter

ABSTRACT

A method of using a passive polarization sorter comprising the step of deploying a first waveguide and a second waveguide forming an adiabatic region along a portion of their length. Then, an input optical signal is introduced into the first waveguide wherein light having at least one guided TE polarized mode of mode ranking mode-i-TE and at least one guided TM polarized mode of mode ranking mode-j-TM remaining within the first waveguide. Light having the other one of the TE and TM polarized modes is evanescently coupled into the second waveguide in the adiabatic region.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 as adivisional patent application of U.S. Ser. No. 11/495,201 filed on Jul.28, 2006 and entitled “Polarization Sorter”, the entire content of whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a method of separating twopolarization states of an input optical signal, and more particularly,but not by way of limitation, a passive polarization sorter forseparating the Transverse Electric (TE) polarization state and theTransverse Magnetic (TM) polarization state of the input optical signalinto at least two geometrically separated outputs.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

Light is a vector field that has two primary and orthogonal polarizationstates or vector directions. Generally, the polarization states arereferred to as the S and P polarizations in free space optics, or the TE(Transverse Electric) and TM (Transverse Magnetic) modes of opticalwaveguides. The performance of optical waveguides and optical devices isoften sensitive to the polarization state. That is, the response of thedevice changes as the polarization state changes. This is particularlypronounced in integrated optical waveguides that are fabricated ondielectric substrates.

Typically, it is desirable to have optical components that areinsensitive to the input state of polarization. In fiber optictelecommunications, the polarization state of an optical signal that hastraveled down any length of fiber is unknown, random, and time varying(due to perturbations in the environment). Great care is often taken inthe design and fabrication of optical components so that they behave ina polarization insensitive manner. Despite this effort, many devicesremain polarization sensitive to some degree, and this affects ultimateperformance, yield, and cost.

There are some special applications where the two polarization states ofan input optical signal needs to be spatially split so each can bemanipulated independently, such as, for example, PMD (Polarization ModeDispersion) compensators, where the dispersion of the signal on the twostates needs to be equalized. In applications where the polarizationsneed to be split, the extinction ratio, which is the ratio of wanted tounwanted polarization in either of the two branches, must be high.

Generally, another way to handle polarization in a device that isrequired to behave as if it were polarization insensitive is to splitthe input polarization into two branches having orthogonal states,process each branch independently with devices that are optimized foreach polarization respectively, and then recombine the processed signalstogether. This scheme is referred to as “polarization diversity”. Eachbranch can be specifically optimized for its respective polarization,giving the best performance without otherwise having to compromise theability to give adequate performance over two polarization statessimultaneously.

Traditionally, optical components have been quite large, andpolarization diversity schemes have not been popular because of theadded size and cost associated with packaging twice the componentry plusthe splitters. Prospects for polarization diversity improve forintegrated optics fabricated on substrates, where the objective is toshrink the size of components and to integrate various functionalitieson a common die or chip, similar in concept to integrated electroniccircuits (ICs). Polarization splitters and two sets of components arefabricated all at once. Future integrated optical components areminiaturized by the use of high-index contrast waveguides. High-indexwaveguides themselves are more susceptible to polarization sensitivity.Polarization diversity may be the only path forward for these futurehigh-index contrast components.

Polarization sorters, also called polarization beam splitters or simplypolarization splitters, are important building block elements inintegrated optics and planar lightwave circuits. In polarization diverseoptical circuits where the polarization states of an input opticalsignal are separated and processed independently, polarization sortersare essential.

A polarization sorter separates the two orthogonal polarization statesof an input optical signal into two geometrically separated outputs. Thearbitrary input signal is composed of two principle states ofpolarization. In planar lightwave circuits and integrated optics, thesestates are commonly referred to as the TE polarization state, and the TMpolarization state. The TE state is characterized as that state wherethe electric field is predominantly polarized parallel to the opticalcircuit substrate, while the TM state is characterized as that statewhere the magnetic field is predominantly polarized parallel to theoptical circuit substrate (Dietrich Marcuse, “Theory of dielectricoptical waveguides”, New York, Academic 1974). For an arbitrary inputsignal, the relative amounts of power in the TE and TM states are botharbitrary and can also be time-varying.

Therefore, there is a need for an effective and efficient waveguidestructure for separating the polarization of an optical signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of a polarization sorterconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 a is a top view of first and second waveguides of thepolarization sorter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 b is a side-elevational view of inputs of the first and secondwaveguides depicted in FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 2 c is a side elevational view of outputs of the first and secondwaveguides depicted in FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 3 shows a path of the polarization evolutions for the TransverseElectric (TE) and Transverse Magnetic (TM) polarization states.

FIG. 4 shows the field profiles for the highest ranking TE and TM modesat the input plane and output plane of the two-waveguide polarizationsorter.

FIG. 4 a shows the field profiles for the highest ranking TE mode at theinput plane of the two-waveguide polarization sorter.

FIG. 4 b shows the field profiles for the highest ranking TE mode at theoutput plane of the two-waveguide polarization sorter.

FIG. 4 c shows the field profiles for the highest ranking TM mode at theinput plane of the two-waveguide polarization sorter.

FIG. 4 d shows the field profiles for the highest ranking TM mode at theoutput plane of the two-waveguide polarization sorter.

FIG. 5 shows a simulation of the TM and TE fields along an examplepolarization sorter from the input plane to the output plane.

FIG. 5 a shows a simulation of the TM field along an examplepolarization sorter from the input plane to the output plane.

FIG. 5 b shows a simulation of the TE fields along an examplepolarization sorter from the input plane to the output plane.

FIG. 6 shows the evolution of the effective mode indexes of the TE andTM modes in each waveguide as a function of distance along an examplepolarization sorter, when the input is on the first waveguide.

FIG. 7 shows the evolution of the effective mode indexes of the TE andTM modes in each waveguide as a function of distance along an examplepolarization sorter when the input is on the second waveguide.

FIG. 8 shows the evolution of the effective mode indexes of the TE andTM modes in each waveguide as a function of distance along an examplepolarization sorter, where the second waveguide has a square geometryalong the entire length.

FIG. 9 depicts the range of output guide widths for the first waveguidein an example polarization sorter for which polarization sorting willoccur.

FIGS. 10 a-10 d depict a second geometry for the polarization sorter.

FIG. 10 a is a top plan view of another version of a polarization sorterconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 b is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 10 b-10 bdepicted in FIG. 10 a.

FIG. 10 c is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 10 c-10 cdepicted in FIG. 10 a.

FIG. 10 d is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 10 d-10 ddepicted in FIG. 10 a.

FIG. 11 shows a transition region appended to the output of thepolarization sorter of FIG. 1 that is used to restore all waveguides toa common height.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1, 2 a-2 c,and 3 shown therein is an exemplary polarization sorter 10 constructedin accordance with the present invention. In general, the polarizationsorter 10 includes at least two evanescently coupled waveguides, whichwill be referred to hereinafter as a first waveguide 12 and a secondwaveguide 14. The first waveguide 12 supports at least one guided TEpolarized mode of mode ranking mode-i-TE, and at least one guided TMpolarized mode of mode ranking mode-j-TM. The second waveguide 14supports at least one of a guided TE polarized mode of mode rankingmode-i-TE, and a guided TM polarized mode of mode ranking mode-j-TM.

The first and second waveguides cooperate to form an adiabatic region 16(shown by way of dashed lines in FIG. 2 a) in which light having one ofthe TE and TM polarized modes remains within the first waveguide 12, andlight having the other one of the TE and TM polarized modes evanescentlycouples into the second waveguide 14. In general, a light wave (or lightsignal) is incident upon or enters the polarization sorter 10 via thefirst waveguide 12 and propagates through the adiabatic region 16 of thepolarization sorter 10 where the light wave exits the polarizationsorter 10. As the light wave propagates through the adiabatic region 16of the polarization sorter 10, the states of polarization are separated.

In a preferred embodiment, the polarization sorter 10 is implemented asa rectangular optical chip. For this reason, the various embodimentswill be described herein as having an “input plane” 20 and an “outputplane” 22. However, it should be understood that the polarization sorter10 can be implemented with other shapes and configurations, and thus theinput and output planes 20 and 22 do not have to be flat or levelsurfaces or opposing surfaces of an optical chip.

In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2 a-2 c, the first waveguide 12 andthe second waveguide 14 are disposed between the input plane 20 and theoutput plane 22. The first waveguide 12 has an input 30 and an output32. The input 30 is aligned with the input plane 20, and the output 32is aligned with the output plane 22. The second waveguide 14 has anoutput 34 aligned with the output plane 22, and an input 36 that can beoptionally aligned with the input plane 20. It should be understood thatthe inputs 30 and 36 can either extend past, or not extend to the inputplane 20. Likewise, the outputs 32 and 34 can either extend past or notextend to the output plane 22.

The input 30 of the first waveguide 12 is configured to receive lighthaving both the TE and TM polarized modes, and the output 32 of thefirst waveguide 12 is configured to provide light of one of the TE andTM polarized modes. The output 34 of the second waveguide 14 isconfigured to provide light of the other one of the TE and TM polarizedmodes. Output waveguides 40 and 42 can be coupled to the outputs 32 and34.

Thus, the polarization sorter 10 separates a state of polarization of alight signal. More particularly, the polarization sorter 10 uses theprinciple of mode evolution which receives a light signal having anarbitrary (or predetermined) state of polarization in the firstwaveguide 12, separates at least two modes, such as TE and TM componentsof the light signal, and typically directs the at least two modes intotwo separate output waveguides 40 and 42. By making gradual or adiabaticchanges to the geometry or refractive index of the first waveguide 12,or second waveguide 14, or both, the modes in the first waveguide 12 canbe conditioned and the polarization states separated.

The polarization sorter 10 works on an Adiabatic Sorting Principle. TheAdiabatic Sorting Principle holds that mode ranking and polarization arepreserved in an arbitrary system of coupled waveguides, even if thephysical geometries or refractive index of those waveguides change alongtheir lengths, so long as the change is slow enough so as to not causeinter-modal coupling or loss. The condition of no coupling and no lossis called the adiabatic criteria. Such an approach only requires thatthe modes not exchange power that is assured by proper design of thefirst and second waveguides 12 and 14 and a slow evolution of thestructure. Since prevention of mode coupling is a relatively looserequirement, devices based on mode evolution tend to be wavelengthinsensitive and fabrication tolerant. The resulting polarization sorter10 is fabrication and wavelength insensitive. It is also preferably acompletely passive component, requiring no thermo-optic or electro-optictuning to optimize its performance. Preferably, the polarization sorter10 is used in a planar lightwave circuit configuration.

While the polarization sorter 10 is generally described herein in termsof the light wave entering via the input 30 of the first waveguide 12and exiting via the outputs 32 and 34 for purposes of clarity ofdiscussion, it should be understood that the present invention alsocontemplates that alternatively, two separate light waves can enter thepolarization sorter 10 via the outputs 32 and 34 of the first and secondwaveguides 12 and 14 and exit via the input 30 of the first waveguide12. When operated in reverse, the polarization sorter 10 is oftenreferred to as a polarization beam combiner, or simply polarizationcombiner. Further, input 36 may also be used to accept the input light.

In a preferred embodiment, the light wave has both TE and TMpolarization components, respectively. The TE and TM components areseparated in the polarization sorter 10 and appear at the two distinctoutputs 32 and 34, respectively. Preferably, only TE polarized signalsexit one output 32, while only TM polarized signals exit the output 34.There can be unwanted leakage of the TM component out the TE output 32,and likewise leakage of the TE component out the TM output 34. The ratioof the leakage TM power to the TE power in the TE output 32, (when bothcomponents are normalized to carry the same amount of power at theinput), is called the polarization extinction ratio (or simply“extinction ratio” here) at the output 32 (e.g., TE port). Likewise, thepolarization extinction ratio (or simply “extinction ratio”) at theoutput 34 (e.g., TM port) is defined as the ratio of the leakage TEpower to the TM power at the output 34 (e.g., TM port). It is desirableto make this ratio as large as possible, since the unwanted leakagepower can lead to overall degradation of the transmission system inwhich this component is embedded.

The first and second waveguides 12 and 14 are separated by a gap 46. Thegap 46 is small enough to allow the optical modes of the first andsecond waveguides 12 and 14 to evanescently interact. The width of thegap 46 can be uniform or non-uniform so long as the first and secondwaveguides 12 and 14 are evanescently coupled. Further, the gap 46 canbe eliminated by constructing the first and second waveguides 12 and 14of materials having different refractive indices. The gap might also beeliminated if the first and second waveguides have different heights.

The total length of the polarization sorter 10 is defined as “L”. Eachof the first and second waveguides 12 and 14 has a width “W” and height“H”, at the input plane 20 and the output plane 22. The geometry of thefirst and second waveguides 12 and 14, e.g., heights, widths, and gap46, may all vary along the length of the polarization sorter (thelengthwise direction is along the z-axis as shown).

Each of the first and second waveguides 12 and 14 has a core 50 disposedwithin a cladding 52. The core 50 is constructed of a high refractiveindex material where most of the optical light that enters thepolarization sorter 10 is confined. The high refractive index materialmay be silicon, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, silicon oxynitride,silicon oxycarbide, silicon oxynitride-carbide, germanium-doped silica,indium phosphide alloys, gallium arsenide alloys, polymers, andcombinations thereof. The cladding 52 is constructed from a lower indexmaterial such as silica, lower index silicon oxynitride, lower indexsilicon oxycarbide, lower index silicon oxynitride-carbide, lower indexdoped silica including germanium and or phosphorus doped silica, lowerindex polymers, and lower index alloys of indium phosphide or galliumarsenide, and combinations thereof. The refractive indexes may varyalong the length of the polarization sorter 10 (in the z-direction). Thecore 50 of each of the first waveguide 12 and the second waveguide 14can have different refractive indexes, but typically the cores 50 aresimilar for ease of manufacture. Waveguides support so calledcharacteristic modes, or simply “modes” (see, for example, DietrichMarcuse, “Theory of dielectric optical waveguides”, New York, Academic1974). Modes are Electric and Magnetic field profiles for eachpolarization propagated along a waveguide. A mode or set of modes alwayscarries optical power in a waveguide. Each mode has associated with it acharacteristic “effective mode index”, or simply “effective index”. Theeffective index of a particular mode on a particular waveguide can becalculated by a variety of methods, including numerical methods.Commercial computer aided design packages are commonly available (see,for example, Apollo Photonics Inc, Hamilton, Ontario Canadawww.apollophoton.com, or C2V Inc., Enschede, the Netherlands,www.c2v.nl) for calculating modes and their propagation throughcomplicated optical circuits.

By way of example, specific dimensions for the first and secondwaveguides will be discussed below, however, it should be understoodthat the first and second waveguides 12 and 14 can be constructed withdifferent dimensions. Referring to FIGS. 2 a-2 c, the first waveguide 12has a height of 1.5 μm everywhere (that is, H_(1in)=H_(1out)=1.5 μm),while the second waveguide 14 has a height of 0.75 μm everywhere (thatis, H_(2in)=H_(2out)=0.75 μm). At the input plane 20, the firstwaveguide 12 is square with a width equal to its heightW_(1in)=H_(1in)=1.5 μm. At the input plane 20, the second waveguide 14is rectangular with a width W_(2in)=1.5 μm greater than its heightH_(2in)=0.75 μm. The first and second waveguides 12 and 14 have auniform refractive index of 1.70 and have a uniform cladding ofrefractive index 1.45 surrounding the first and second waveguides 12 and14. At the output plane 22, the first waveguide 12 has a width ofW_(1out)=0.75 μm, and the second waveguide 14 has a width ofW_(2out)=1.5 μm. That is, the first waveguide 12 has a width that tapersin, while the second waveguide 14 has a width that remains constant.

The polarization sorter 10 is formed on the adiabatic sorting principle.The adiabatic sorting principle holds that mode number and polarizationare always preserved in a waveguide or a system of evanescently coupledwaveguides even when parameters of any waveguide such as width, heightor index, vary slowly along the length of the system of waveguides. Theeffect of adiabatic following is that if a first mode is launched at theinput of the system of adiabatically varying waveguides, then at thefinal output, the signal will still reside in the first mode, whateverthe first mode happens to look like at the output. Similar rules holdfor launching any other mode. The input waveguides and their modeprofiles can look significantly different from the output waveguides andtheir mode profiles, however, so long as the transformation is “slow”between input and output, then the adiabatic following principle holds.Quantitatively, “slow” or adiabatic means that power is not coupled orscattered from one mode to another, and in practice, the transformationcan always be made adiabatic if the device is made long enough, anddiscontinuities are avoided. Mode number is defined as a ranking of theeffective indexes of all the modes of a particular polarization for thecomplete system of coupled waveguides. The mode with the largesteffective index for the TE polarization is labeled “mode-1-TE”. The modewith the second largest effective index of the TE polarization islabeled “mode-2-TE”, and so on. The modes are ranked by their effectiveindexes such that mode-1-TE>mode-2-TE>mode-3-TE, etc., and similarly forthe TM polarizations. Mode order ranking includes both guided andradiation modes.

Using the adiabatic sorting principle, a waveguiding structure isdesigned so that at the input plane 20 the TE and TM states are input inthe first waveguide 12, in mode numbers mode-i-TE and mode-j-TM, whilethe first and second waveguides 12 and 14 have a geometry or refractiveindex so that mode-j-TM and mode-i-TE are in two separate waveguides atthe output, i.e., the first and second waveguide 12 and 14. Along thepolarization sorter from input to output, the waveguides 12 and 14 areslowly varied in order to transform the input structure to the outputstructure in an adiabatic fashion. The adiabatic sorting causes themodes to evolve into separate waveguides.

For example, shown in FIG. 3 is the adiabatic sorting action in thepolarization sorter 10 of FIG. 2 a-2 c. The optical signal is input intothe first waveguide 12. The first waveguide 12 or both the first andsecond waveguides 12 and 14 are slowly transformed from the input plane20 to the output plane 22. Mode-j-TM remains associated with the firstwaveguide 12 (input waveguide), while mode-i-TE transforms from thefirst waveguide 12 to the second waveguide 14. As the first and secondwaveguides 12 and 14 are slowly transformed from the input plane 20 tothe output plane 22, the mode ranking of mode-i-TE shifts from beingassociated with the first waveguide 12 to being associated with thesecond waveguide 14 at some intermediate point. At the intermediatepoint, the TE mode “follows” the mode ranking into the second waveguide14. Polarization states on a common input have thus been separated, orsorted, into two waveguides 12 and 14.

In general, the adiabatic sorting principle does not depend on thedetails of the exact waveguide structure within a certain design window,or how that structure varies along the polarization sorter 10. This isimportant because it implies that the polarization sorter 10 can befabrication insensitive and wavelength insensitive, attributes which areimportant for many optical waveguide circuits. The adiabatic principleholds if the structure is made long enough, and abrupt discontinuitiesare avoided. The term “abrupt” as used herein means a change instructure such that the mode field profiles on either side of thediscontinuity are different enough so as to cause scattering.

The polarization sorter 10 can be manufactured using various techniquessuch as conventional planar lightwave circuit (PLC) fabricationtechniques. Conventional PLC fabrication techniques leverage theinstalled base of batch tools used for integrated electronic circuits(so called “ICs”) in order to produce well-controlled circuits inscalable volumes. Such techniques usually involve thin film depositionand etching steps. Dielectric material is deposited or grown onsubstrates, and then optical circuits are subsequently patterned andetched into those dielectrics. (See, for example, “Integrated Optics,Theory and Technology”, by Robert G. Hunsperger, Spring 4^(th) Edition1995, or “Optical Integrated Circuit”, by Hiroshi Nishihar, MasamitsuHaruna, Toshiaki Suhara, McGraw-Hill 1989.)

The effective mode indexes of the coupled first and second waveguides 12and 14 are manipulated in such a way so as to cause polarizationsorting. The effective index of the waveguides 12 and 14 is a functionof the refractive index of the waveguide's core 50 and cladding 52, aswell as the waveguide's height and width (or more generally, itsgeometry if the guide is not rectangular). In conventional PLCfabrication technologies, especially those that utilize IC fabricationtools, the refractive index of a planar layer is uniform, and it isdifficult to vary it along the length of an optical circuit. Varying thewidth of the waveguides 12 and/or 14 is accomplished in the design of aphotomask that is used to “print” the circuit. The photomask (orphoto-reticle as it is sometimes called) delineates all of the waveguideboundaries and is one of the more popular methods of defining theoptical circuit pattern. The waveguide's (12 and/or 14) height can bechanged, at least stepwise, by etching away part of the waveguide'soriginal thickness in prescribed regions of the optical circuit. Ingeneral, the effective index of any mode supported by a waveguideincreases when either the height or the width of a waveguide increases.Further, changing the height or width of a waveguide will affect the TEand TM polarizations unequally.

Referring to FIGS. 4 a-4 d, TM and TE field profiles for the highestranking TM and TE modes of the polarization sorter 10 are shown. Each ofthe first and second waveguides 12 and 14 supports a TE polarized modeand a TM polarized mode. Thus, there are a total of four guided modes. Anumerical mode solver (for example, Apollo Photonics Inc. of Hamilton,Ontario Canada, www.apollophoton.com) is used to find the effectiveindexes of all modes, and thus the ranking of the modes. Thehighest-ranking modes of each polarization at the input plane 20 and theoutput plane 22 for the compound two-guide structure are shown. At theinput plane 20, the highest-ranking TE polarized mode (FIG. 4 a) and TMpolarized mode (FIG. 4 b) are both in the first waveguide 12. At theoutput plane, the highest-ranking TE polarized mode (FIG. 4 c) is on thesecond waveguide 14, while the highest-ranking TM mode (FIG. 4 d)remains on the first waveguide 12. The TM mode entering into the firstwaveguide 12 at the input plane 20 remains in the first waveguide 12,while a TE mode entering into the first waveguide 12 at the input plane20 would transfer over to the second waveguide 14. The length of theadiabatic region 16 can vary, but in a preferred embodiment is L=750 μm.The simulation was accomplished by Beam Propagation Method (BPM) whichis available as a commercial package (for example, C2V Inc., Enschede,the Netherlands, www.c2v.nl).

Referring to FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, shown therein is another embodiment of apolarization sorter 10 a constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. The polarization sorter 10 a includes a first waveguide 12 aand a second waveguide 14 a. The polarization sorter 10 a is similar inconstruction and function as the polarization sorter 10 discussed above,with the exception that the second waveguide 14 a tapers from the inputplane 20 to the output plane 22.

In FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, the evolution of the TM mode and the TE mode fieldintensities are shown as grey scale plots. The TE mode crosses over fromthe first waveguide 12 a to the second waveguide 14 a as the width ofthe first waveguide 12 a is reduced, while the TM mode stays in thefirst waveguide 12. At the output the two polarization states aresubstantially in two different waveguides 12 a and 14 a. The first andsecond waveguides 12 a and 14 a do not need to be separated and are notseparated in this example for substantial polarization sorting action tooccur.

As shown in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, a simulation of the TM and TE fieldsalong the polarization sorter 10 a from the input plane 20 to the outputplane 22 is shown. The input optical signal enters the polarizationsorter 10 a on the first waveguide 12 a. The TM mode remains on thefirst waveguide 12 a and the TE mode transfers over from the firstwaveguide 12 a to the second waveguide 14 a. It should be understoodthat the input signal may also be positioned on the second waveguide 14a. Thus, the input signal polarizations do not need to be associatedwith any preferred “vertically” or “horizontally” oriented input guide.

Referring to FIG. 6, a graphical representation of the effective modeindexes for modes as a function of distance along the polarizationsorter 10 of FIG. 2 a-2 c is shown. That is, H_(1in)=H_(1out)=1.5 μm,H_(2in)=H_(2out)=0.75 μm, W_(1in)=1.5 μm, and W_(1out)=0.75 μm. As shownin FIG. 2 a-2 c, the width of the second waveguide 14 is not tapered,but remains constant from input to output, W_(2in)=W_(2out)=1.5 μm. TheTE and TM modes in the first waveguide 12 are labeled as TE-1 and TM-1,and the TE and TM modes in the second waveguide 14 are labeled as TE-2and TM-2. The dimensions of the second waveguide 14 do not change inthis example, thus, the effective indexes of the second waveguide 14,TE-2 and TM-2, remain constant along the polarization sorter 10. At theinput plane 20, the first waveguide 12 is square, and thus the TE and TMpolarized modes start out identical. Because the dimensions of the firstwaveguide 12 at the input plane are larger than those of the secondwaveguide 14, the effective indexes of TE-1 and TM-1 are larger thanTE-2 and TM-2, respectively, of the second waveguide 20. Mode-1-TE=TE-1,mode-2-TE=TE-2, mode-1-TM=TM-1, and mode-2-TM=TM-2. As the width of thefirst waveguide 12 is tapered down, the effective indexes of both TE-1and TM-1 decrease. Changing the width has a more pronounced effect onthe TE mode, and TE-1 decreases faster than TM-1. As shown in the outputplane 22, the TM mode of the first waveguide 12 remains larger than theTM mode of the second waveguide 14, while the TE mode of the firstwaveguide 12 is now smaller than the TE mode of the second waveguide. Atsome point along the tapered first waveguide 12 of the polarizationsorter 10, the rankings of TE-1 and TE-2 are exchanged. At the input,TE-1 has the higher ranking, but as the width of the first waveguide 12is tapered down, its effective index drops below that of the secondwaveguide 14. In the mode ranking nomenclature, mode-1-TE =TE-1 at theinput plane 20, but at the output plane 22 mode-1-TE=TE-2. Then, powerlaunched in the TE-1 mode at the input plane 20 will appear in the TE-2mode at the output plane 22. On the other hand, throughout the devicemode-1-TM is always TM-1. Power launched on TM-1 remains in the firstwaveguide 12.

The dashed lines in FIG. 6 show the path of the highest-ranking TE andTM modes in the polarization sorter 10. If the input signal is launchedin the first waveguide 12 at the input plane 20, the signal will followthose dashed lines if the structure changes adiabatically. In curvessuch as FIG. 6, when the lines for two like polarizations cross, poweris coupled from the first waveguide 12 to the second waveguide 14. Thispower coupling is complete (i.e., close to 100%) when the structure isadiabatic.

Referring to FIG. 7, a graphical representation of the effective modeindexes of the TE and TM modes in the first and second waveguides 12 and14 as a function of distance along the polarization sorter 10 is shownwhen an input is on the second waveguide 14. The modes are launched inthe TE-2 and TM-2 modes, which both have smaller effective indexes thantheir counterparts in the first waveguide 12 (i.e., smaller than TE-1and TM-1, respectively). The TM mode stays in the second waveguide 14,while the TE mode shifts from the second waveguide 14 to the firstwaveguide 12 when the effective index of TE-1 becomes smaller than TE-2.The dashed lines in FIG. 7 depict mode evolution.

Referring to FIG. 8, a graphical representation is shown of theeffective indexes of the TE and TM modes in the first and secondwaveguides 12 and 14 as a function of distance along the polarizationsorter 10 where the second waveguide 14 has a square geometry from theinput plane 20 to the output plane 22 of the polarization sorter 10. TheTE and TM modes of the square second waveguide 14 are identical if thereis no material birefringence, and this is indicated in FIG. 8 by thesame line for TE-2 and TM-2. The output geometry of the first waveguide12 is chosen such that TM-1>TM-2, and TE-2>TE-1. This example is meantto show that at both the input plane 20 and the output plane 22, atleast one waveguide 12 or 14 does not need to have any preferred“horizontal” or “vertical” orientation.

In the foregoing example of the polarization sorter 10 having twowaveguides (i.e., the first and second waveguides 12 and 14), thewaveguide geometries were constructed in such a way that at the inputplane 20 the highest ranking TE and TM modes are in one waveguide 12),but at the output plane 22 the highest ranking TE and TM modes are indifferent waveguides, e.g., TE in guide 14, TM in guide 12 (see, forexample, FIG. 4). Preferably, the TE and TM modes of the first waveguide12 at the input plane 20 can always be made to have the highest rankingby making the dimensions of the first waveguide 12 sufficiently large.However, there may be a certain limited range of waveguide geometries atthe output plane 22 that satisfies the criteria that the highest TE andTM modes are in different waveguides 12 and 14.

Referring to FIG. 9, an example is shown of the range of widths for thefirst waveguide 12 at an output over which polarization sorting occurs.The first and second waveguides 12 and 14 have a core refractive indexof 1.70, surrounded by the cladding 52 having a refractive index of1.45. The second waveguide 14 has a width of W_(2out)=1.5 μm, and aheight of H_(2out)=0.75 μm. The first waveguide 12 has a height ofH_(1out)=1.5 μm, and a width that is varied in this plot. FIG. 9 showsthe effective indexes of the modes in the second waveguide 14 (labeledTE-2 and TM-2), and the modes in the first waveguide 12 (labeled TE-1and TM-1), as a function of the width of the first waveguide 12 Thewidth of the first waveguide 12 does not have any impact on the modes ofthe second waveguide 14 as shown. Polarization sorting will occur forthe conditions on the effective indexes such that TM-1>TM-2, andTE-2>TE-1. These conditions are simultaneously satisfied over theinterior of the region formed by the intersection of all four curves andare delineated by a hatched area 61. The output width of the firstwaveguide 12 can take on any value of between about 0.65 μm and 0.85 μm.

Shown in FIGS. 10 a-10 d and labeled by the reference numeral 10 b isanother embodiment of a polarization sorter constructed in accordancewith the present invention. The polarization sorter 10 b has an inputplane 82 and an output plane 84 and an adiabatic region 86 having alength between the input plane 82 and the output plane 84. Thepolarization sorter 10 b has a first waveguide 88 and a second waveguide90. The first waveguide 88 and the second waveguide 90 are disposedbetween the input plane 82 and the output plane 84. The first waveguide88 has an input 92 and an output 94. The second waveguide 90 has aninput 96 and an output 98. In general, a light wave is incident upon orenters the polarization sorter 10 b via the input 92 of the firstwaveguide 88 and propagates from the input plane 82 through theadiabatic region 86 of the polarization sorter 10 b to the output plane84, where the light wave exits the polarization sorter 10 b. As thelight wave propagates through the polarization sorter 10 b, the statesof polarization are separated.

The first waveguide 88 and the second waveguide 90 start at the inputplane 82 at the same height as shown in FIG. 10 b. However, in theadiabatic region 86 as shown in FIG. 10 d along the middle plane, thesecond waveguide 90 has two different heights where the top section isslowly tapered away. Such a tapered step height can be formed by an etchprocess which will be described hereinafter. At the output plane 84, thefirst and second waveguides 88 and 90 have differing heights and widthsas shown in FIG. 10 c. The waveguide geometries at the input plane 82and the output plane 84 are chosen appropriately to cause polarizationsorting.

While the polarization sorter 10 b is generally described herein interms of the light wave entering via the input 92 and exiting via theoutputs 94 and 98 for purposes of clarity of discussion, it should beunderstood that the present invention also contemplates thatalternatively, a light wave can enter the polarization sorter 10 b viathe outputs 94 and 98 and exiting via the input 92. When operated inreverse, the polarization sorter 10 b is often referred to as apolarization beam combiner, or simply polarization combiner. Further,input 90 may also be used to accept the input light.

Generally, the polarization sorter 10 b or 10 is used within a planarlightwave circuit having a multitude of other components, and theseother components are typically designed around one particular waveguideheight. Referring to FIG. 11, a transition region 100 is appended on theend of the polarization sorter 10 of FIGS. 2 a-2 c, which may bereferred to herein as a sorting region. The second waveguide 14 is shownbeing formed in the transition region 100 as a thinner waveguide. Thefirst waveguide 12 is shown as a thicker waveguide in the transitionregion 100. The second waveguide 14 is restored to the same height asthe first waveguide 12. The second waveguide 14 may be produced byetching an originally thicker waveguide as will be detailedsubsequently. Alternatively, the first waveguide 12 can be etched downto match the thinner waveguide in the transition region 100. Thetransition region 100 is designed to have negligible effects on thesorted polarizations.

The first and second waveguides 12 and 14 of the polarization sorter 10can be fabricated using any technique for forming the first and secondwaveguides 12 and 14, such as an etching technique. The etching processtypically begins with a starting structure that includes a buriedwaveguide. The buried waveguide has a core material that is at leastpartially buried or disposed within a cladding material. The corematerial of the waveguide is typically constructed of a materialselected from a group consisting of silicon, silicon nitride, siliconcarbide, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxycarbide, siliconoxynitride-carbide, germanium-doped silica, indium phosphide alloys,gallium arsenide alloys, polymers, and combinations thereof. Thecladding material is constructed of a material selected from a groupconsisting of silica, lower index silicon oxynitride, lower indexsilicon oxycarbide, lower index silicon oxynitride-carbide, lower indexdoped silica including germanium and or phosphorus doped silica, lowerindex polymers, and lower index alloys of indium phosphide or galliumarsenide, and combinations thereof.

In a next step of the etching method, a photoresist layer having adesired pattern is disposed on the buried waveguide. The photoresistlayer may include one or more openings having a desired shape.

In general, the photoresist layer is constructed of a material thatprevents material beneath the photoresist layer from being removedduring the etching process. Thus, during etching, the exposed arearesulting from the opening in the photoresist layer is removed to aproper depth, and the pattern of the opening is transferred into thecore After the etching process is complete, another layer of claddingmaterial is deposited over the entire structure and planarized ifneeded. A more detailed description of methods for forming the first andsecond waveguides 12 and 14 having varying heights and widths isdescribed in a co-pending patent application entitled “ADIABATICPOLARIZATION CONVERTER” and identified by U.S. Ser. No. 11/222,358, thecontent of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

It should be noted that the optimum polarization conversion is a resultof both the initial etch pattern and also the etch depth. However, sincethe separating mechanism of the polarization rotator 10 is adiabatic, itis expected that the performance characteristics of the polarizationrotator 10 fabricated utilizing the etching method discussed above willhave wide latitude in both fabrication and design.

While the above method for fabricating the waveguide structure 10 of thepresent invention is described above in terms of fabricating onewaveguide structure 10, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that such fabrication methods, as well as any other appropriatefabrication techniques currently known in the art or later developed,can be utilized to fabricate one or more of the waveguide structure 10,or portions thereof, such as when one or more waveguide structures areincluded on a chip, or on a wafer (e.g., a silicon wafer) having aplurality of chips.

A system of coupled waveguides where all waveguides are the samethickness can be fabricated by a number of well-known methods. See forexample, “Integrated Optics, Theory and Technology”, by Robert G.Hunsperger, Spring 4^(th) Edition 1995, or “Optical Integrated Circuit”,by Hiroshi Nishihar, Masamitsu Haruna, Toshiaki Suhara, McGraw-Hill1989.

From the above description, it is clear that the present invention iswell adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantagesmentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. Whilepresently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described forpurposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changesmay be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled inthe art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventiondisclosed and claimed.

1. A method of using a passive polarization sorter comprising the stepsof: deploying a first waveguide and a second waveguide where the firstand second waveguides form an adiabatic region along a portion of theirlength; introducing an input optical signal into the first waveguidewherein light having at least one guided TE polarized mode of moderanking mode-i-TE and at least one guided TM polarized mode of moderanking mode-j-TM remaining within the first waveguide; and evanescentlycoupling light having the other one of the TE and TM polarized modesinto the second waveguide in the adiabatic region.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein in the step of deploying the first and secondwaveguides, the first waveguide has an input and an output, and thesecond waveguide has an output, the input of the first waveguideconfigured to receive light having both the TE and TM polarized modes,and the output of the first waveguide configured to provide light of oneof the TE and TM polarized modes, and the output of the second waveguideconfigured to provide light of the other one of the TE and TM polarizedmodes.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein in the step of deploying thefirst and second waveguides, the outputs of the first and secondwaveguides are separate.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the stepof deploying the first and second waveguides, the shape of the firstwaveguide varies in the adiabatic region along the length of the firstwaveguide to cause the light having the other one of the TE and TMpolarized modes to evanescently couple into the second waveguide.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein in the step of deploying the first and secondwaveguides, the refractive index of the first waveguide is fixed yetchanges in the adiabatic region along the length of the first waveguideto cause the light having the other one of the TE and TM polarized modesto evanescently couple into the second waveguide.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein in the step of deploying the first and second waveguides, thefirst and second waveguides are separated by a gap.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein in the step of deploying the first and secondwaveguides, the first and second waveguides are constructed of materialshaving a similar refractive index.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein inthe step of deploying the first and second waveguides, the first andsecond waveguides are constructed of materials having differentrefractive indexes.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step ofdeploying the first and second waveguides, the first waveguide has alength and a width, and wherein the width of the first waveguide changesin the adiabatic region along the length of the first waveguide.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein in the step of deploying the first and secondwaveguides, the first waveguide has a length and a height, and whereinthe height of the first waveguide changes in the adiabatic region alongthe length of the first waveguide.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein inthe step of deploying the first and second waveguides, the secondwaveguide has a length and a width, and wherein the width of the secondwaveguide changes in the adiabatic region along the length of the secondwaveguide.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step of deployingthe first and second waveguides, the second waveguide has a length and aheight, and wherein the height of the second waveguide changes in theadiabatic region along the length of the second waveguide.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, wherein in the step of introducing the input opticalsignal, the core material of the first and second waveguides isconstructed of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon,silicon nitride, silicon carbide, silicon oxynitride, siliconoxycarbide, silicon oxynitride-carbide, germanium-doped silica, indiumphosphide alloys, gallium arsenide alloys, polymers, and combinationsthereof.
 14. A method of using a passive polarization combinercomprising the steps of: deploying a first waveguide and a secondwaveguide where the first and second waveguides form an adiabatic regionalong a portion of their length; introducing a first light wave into thefirst waveguide and a second light wave into the second waveguide,wherein the first light wave has a guided TE polarized mode of moderanking mode-i-TE and the second light wave has a guided TM polarizedmode of mode ranking mode-j-TM; and evanescently coupling light from oneof the first and second waveguides into the other one of the first andsecond waveguides in the adiabatic region to combine the first andsecond light waves.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step ofdeploying the first and second waveguides, the first waveguide has aninput and an output, and the second waveguide has an input, the input ofthe first waveguide configured to receive light having the TE polarizedmodes, and the output of the first waveguide configured to providecombined light of the TE and TM polarized modes, and the input of thesecond waveguide configured to receive light of the TM polarized modes.16. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step of deploying the firstand second waveguides, the inputs of the first and second waveguides areseparate.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step of deployingthe first and second waveguides, the shape of the first waveguide variesin the adiabatic region along the length of the first waveguide.
 18. Themethod of claim 14, wherein in the step of deploying the first andsecond waveguides, the refractive index of the first waveguide is fixedyet changes in the adiabatic region along the length of the firstwaveguide.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step of deployingthe first and second waveguides, the first and second waveguides areseparated by a gap.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step ofdeploying the first and second waveguides, the first and secondwaveguides are constructed of materials having a similar refractiveindex.
 21. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step of deploying thefirst and second waveguides, the first and second waveguides areconstructed of materials having different refractive indexes.
 22. Themethod of claim 14, wherein in the step of deploying the first andsecond waveguides, the first waveguide has a length and a width, andwherein the width of the first waveguide changes in the adiabatic regionalong the length of the first waveguide.
 23. The method of claim 14,wherein in the step of deploying the first and second waveguides, thefirst waveguide has a length and a height, and wherein the height of thefirst waveguide changes in the adiabatic region along the length of thefirst waveguide.
 24. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step ofdeploying the first and second waveguides, the second waveguide has alength and a width, and wherein the width of the second waveguidechanges in the adiabatic region along the length of the secondwaveguide.
 25. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step of deployingthe first and second waveguides, the second waveguide has a length and aheight, and wherein the height of the second waveguide changes in theadiabatic region along the length of the second waveguide.
 26. Themethod of claim 14, wherein in the step of introducing the input opticalsignal, the core material of the first and second waveguides isconstructed of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon,silicon nitride, silicon carbide, silicon oxynitride, siliconoxycarbide, silicon oxynitride-carbide, germanium-doped silica, indiumphosphide alloys, gallium arsenide alloys, polymers, and combinationsthereof.